Kingdom(2)

The air was tense.

Thousand of soldiers stood on the field, frowning at the pain of their unhealed injuries. Tomorrow was the day when the Qin army would finally reach them. Most of them were scared, while some just seemed not able to function anymore at this point.

Yet, there they stood, gathered by the order of their last General.

General's back was wide and each of his steps seemed to tremble the ground. He walked with confidence deserving of a General, causing everyone to sober up.

Then he stopped and turned around. No one talked as silence descended.

"I came here today to stand before you, not to give you some words of encouragement, but to make a statement." Draco talked slowly, yet his voice reached everyone's ears. "Tomorrow will most likely be the day of your death. Yes, that's right. All your hope, faith, or happy memories means nothing anymore. The same goes for me."

Everyone looked down with complicated expressions on their faces.

"However..." Draco looked through the crowds of soldiers as if making eye contact with each and every soldier. "Does that mean our lives were meaningless? Does that mean that there was no reason for us to be born into this world? No, that can't be true, right?"

Draco pointed into the distance, his eyes gleaming with determination. The soldiers looked the way he was pointing, their eyes suddenly glowing with understanding. That way was the lonely capital of the Wei Kingdom, and the place where civilians were taking refuge.

"The Qin army is advancing at rapid speeds, and they aren't coming for us. They are coming for the capital where your sons, daughters, and loved ones are resting." The air around Draco turned heavy as he continued. "If we lose now, then I think you all know what will happen to them, right? So, let me ask you a question. Are our lives truly meaningless?"

It wasn't long before one soldier answered. "No... they are not."

"Louder!"

"They are not!"

"I can't hear you!"

"Our lives aren't meaningless!"

Before even realizing it, all twenty thousand soldiers were shouting in unison, causing the ground to tremble from their might. Draco nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right! Our lives can't be meaningless when we have been bestowed with a task to protect our loved ones!" Draco shouted, lifting his hand into the air. "I don't care whenever you have injuries or you are on a brink of death! Tomorrow, we are going to fight without caring about our lives!"

"Yes, General!" All the soldiers hit their feet against the ground, causing another turmoil.

"Now, I want you all to listen to Dou Sei's and Rein's instructions!" Draco's face turned into a smile. "We are going to rip those bastards into shreds!"

While the soldiers started going crazy from excitement, Draco turned around and walked toward Rein and Duo Sei. There was a new kind of admiration in their eyes as they stared at the soldiers. Even those who previously seemed to be mentally ill have regained their composure.

General's speech worked exceptionally well.

"Disperse the troops just how I told you to do," Draco said with a serious expression. "That's the only way we can win."

They both nodded seriously as Draco took his leave.

There was still some time remaining for him to train.

***

Draco took a deep breath, feeling the pungent smell of sweat and blood in the air. Then he felt it. The trembling of the ground beneath. All the soldiers behind him trembled a bit, but they soon regained their composure with determination gleaming in their eyes.

Good.

They remembered his speech.

Draco looked into the distance, seeing thousand and thousand of mighty soldiers walking their way. He could feel their strength just by glancing, especially at the person in the army's front, and three people following him from behind.

Mou Bu and his three commanders. Draco could tell that they would not be an easy enemy, but that wouldn't be the case if his plan worked well. No, it had to work well.

'I have prepared a lot during this week.' Draco thought, looking around. Since they were the ones being attacked, they had the leisure of choosing where would the battle begin. After long thinking, Draco decided to greet the enemy troops here, just some distance away from this vast forest.

'Shall the plan begin?' Draco thought, making eye contact with Mou Bu. Draco smirked, pointing at the enemy General and then crossing his neck with a thumb. It was a simple stunt to annoy him, but it worked better than it did as a few veins popped on his forehead.

There was no need for any useless ceremony or speeches; both sides have been waiting and imagining this moment for weeks. He saw Mou Bu shouting something loudly as the enemy troops advanced forth on their horses.

Draco calmed down his excitement and then lifted his hand. "Commence."

His soldiers rushed into the battle as well, shouting something gibberish just to intimidate the enemy. It didn't take long for both sides to crash against each other as the sight of heads flying into the air came into view. Blood spurted through the battlefield and both sides stalled, but Draco knew that wasn't for long. The Qin army was much stronger.

Draco made eye contact with Mou Bu again. Making sure that he was looking at him, Draco then took out a helmet and put it on. It completely enveloped his face and hid his white hair from the prying eyes.

'Now.' Draco hopped on a horse and took out a long sword from its scabbard. He then rushed into the battle like a madman, cleanly killing off all the enemy soldiers in the way. He didn't care about being surrounded by the enemies as he passed by his soldiers, vaulting into the heart of the adversary. He had only one goal in his mind. Mou Bu.

"I like this bastard!" Mou Bu grinned happily as he grabbed onto his massive club, kicking his horse. Such development did not startle the three commanders behind him, since they knew their superior all too well. Besides, they weren't even that worried. In one-on-one battles, no one in the entire world could stop Mou Bu.

And thus, both Draco and Mou Bu obliterated the enemies standing in their way, rushing toward each other at extreme speeds. Soon, they stood just a few feet before each other, the surrounding air stale.

"I don't remember the last time someone willingly decided to fight against me. Just from that, I can tell that you differ from those other lousy generals of your kingdom." Mou Bu said, his voice serious. "However, thi-"

"Fuck off," Draco whispered slightly, annoyance clear in his voice. "We aren't here to chat."

As Draco's words landed on the battlefield, he kicked his horse to start running. A few more veins appeared on Mou Bu's forehead, clearly angered by the fact that he was interrupted. He directed all of his anger into his weapon and booted his horse.

They reached each other in a matter of seconds and Mou Bu was the first to attack. He swung with his club vertically at extreme speeds, but Draco dodged in time by controlling his horse. Using this moment, Draco stabbed his sword towards Mou Bu's stomach, but his enemy somehow twisted his wrist at a strange angle and blocked the attack with the club.

'Strong,' Draco figured out that his enemy was stronger than predicted. He even started to worry about the plan, but another attack forced him out of his thoughts. Despite having immense power, Mou Bu wasn't that quick, hence Draco had some room to breathe.

Their battle ensued, with Mou Bu constantly attacking and Draco dodging. He tried to strike a few hits here and there, but he didn't manage to scratch him. This wasn't yet the time to reveal his full power.

"Stop dodging and fight you, coward!" Mou Bu roared, but Draco simply ignored his words. He had to stay focused and composed. Side glancing, Draco smirked. The plan finally started. Hundreds of soldiers revealed themselves from the forest as they advanced toward the enemy troops in the shape of an arrow. Their goal was obvious. To break away General Mou Bu from the main army.

These people were the elite of the elite, and they were also the ones who didn't have any injuries. Compared to brethren behind Draco, they were like heaven and earth. Qin's troops tried to stop such a thing from happening, but they still couldn't do it.

Despite the situation, Mou Bu only smirked. "I see. Your plan is quite good. You are trying to circle me and quickly kill me, right? It would probably work on other people, but you forgot you are facing me."

The air around Mou Bu grew tense. "It doesn't matter how many of you are there! You are all going to die!"

'So far the plan is going alright.' Draco thought, dodging another attack. He sighed deeply, surging mana into his left shoulder. 'Now, onto another part.'

Draco gnashed his teeth, seeing Mou Bu swinging like crazy. Then he made a horizontal swing and Draco ducked. However, Draco didn't dodge completely, and the club collided with his left shoulder. His armor instantly shattered into little pieces, and he flew away from the horse.

'It's painful.'

The force behind Mou Bu's attacks turned out to be even more terrifying than predicted. Even though he protected his shoulder with mana, his bone still seemed to have shattered from peer strength.

'Does mana really not exist in this world?' Draco thought, never thinking that such power could be achieved by training your body alone. As Draco removed all the unnecessary thoughts from his mind, he proceeded with the act.

Looking down, Mou Bu saw his enemy staring at him with fearful eyes.

He couldn't see his expression because of the helmet, but it definitely was something amusing.

"I respect your wits, but you are just another weakling." Mou Bu lifted his club in the air to finish his enemies when suddenly his horse stumbled on the ground. His body center shifted, and he fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Fucking bastard." Mou Bu saw a sword sticking out from the horse's body as he directed his gaze back towards Draco, full of anger. However, instead of using this chance, Draco pushed his comrade from his horse and hopped on it. Before Mou Bu could get back up, Draco was already retreating into the forest at incredible speeds.

"Running away? It seems that I have overestimated you." Mou Bu stood back up. "Fucking coward. Leaving his soldiers to their death."

Mou Bu looked over the battlefield, noticing how easily their troops have dominated the battle. Those soldiers who came in rushing from the forest were already almost annihilated. Their scheme backfired, and they were ones sandwiched between enemies.

"Sir, it's an ambush." One of his commanders approached Mou Bu, warning him slightly.

"So what if it is? Whether or not it's some scheme, they can never defeat me." Mou Bu hopped onto another horse, picking up the club. "Look around. This battle is a lost cause for the Wei Kingdom since their General disappeared. With the three of you leading the army, I don't need to be here anymore."

"Sighh...alright, sir." The commander didn't pry the matter further, understanding the logic behind Mou Bu's words. The battle's outcome was already predetermined, and worrying about Mou Bu's safety seemed more like a joke. This monster could never die, even in the deepest parts of hell.

Eventually, Mou Bu took about a hundred soldiers with him and disappeared into the forest.

However, little did he know that Draco never stepped a foot into the forest.